US says Iran should not respond to Israel's retaliation
The White House said Iran should not respond to Israel's retaliatory strikes over the weekend.
According to CNN, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on October 30 (Washington time) that Iran should not respond to Israel's attacks on its territory over the weekend.
Responding to a question from CNN after the channel reported that Israel's recent airstrikes would face a "decisive and painful" response that could come before the US presidential election, Jean-Pierre said: "Iran should not respond to Israeli retaliation," adding that "however, if Iran decides to respond, the United States will always be ready to support Israel in defending it."
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller did not give an assessment of what Iran "may or may not do", but reiterated that the US believes "they should not respond".
Mr. Miller did not say whether Israel had notified the United States of its intention to retaliate before November 5.
“I’m not going to talk about communications between our two governments, whether real or imagined. But as we’ve made clear publicly, and I can tell you that Iran knows the message, they should not continue to escalate this conflict,” Miller said at a press conference on October 30.
Regarding the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, spokesman Miller said the US is trying to ensure a "diplomatic solution with all parties involved".
“We are not there yet, but we are working towards that goal,” Mr. Miller said at a news conference.
The diplomat would not comment on reports from CNN and other sources that Israeli, US and Lebanese officials are pursuing a short-term ceasefire agreement to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah for at least a month.
Mr Miller also stated that they were not calling for a ceasefire “right now”, but “wanted to get to a point where there was a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution”.
“Ultimately we want to see a ceasefire. We want to see a diplomatic solution that allows civilians, both in Lebanon and in Israel, to return to their homes,” Miller said, noting that White House officials were traveling to Israel to discuss this and other issues.
“One of the issues they will discuss is how we can find a diplomatic solution that fully implements UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which we have not seen in the last few years,” a US State Department spokesperson said.